


Understanding

by SalazarTipton



Series: It's Never Easy [2]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, M/M, established nuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:17:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/pseuds/SalazarTipton
Summary: When Nathan tells Audrey to leave him alone after the Chief's death, Duke is called in to comfort Nathan.Aka please just let Nathan have some support and time to grieve! The poor boy has been through so much.





	Understanding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [softmagnusbane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/softmagnusbane/gifts).



> Jay, I know you could use a little pick me up during the stress from the end of semester. This maaaay not be the happiest thing, but we can all use more supportive nuke. <3

Duke nearly falls face first into the sand when he jumps off the last step of the path. He runs around Nathan’s truck to the open tailgate where Dave is setting something in a cooler.

“Audrey said it was an emergency. What’s going on? Where’s Nathan?” Duke asks the brothers while trying to catch his breath.

Dave and Vince look at each other for a beat before Dave steps forward and places a hand on Duke’s shoulder.

“It’s the Chief,” he says.

“No, it’s about Nathan,” Vince interrupts.

Dave waves him off so he can continue. “The Chief...is dead. We’re taking care of the, well, pieces, but Nathan?”

Duke follows his gaze past Vince picking up a rock, down the beach to find Nathan sitting with his knees tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs, holding them in place while he watches the waves roll in.

He’s walking away from Dave and the truck--towards Nathan--before his brain processes what’s going on. His gut twists. Chief Wuornos is gone. Duke knows how much Nathan’s dad meant to him even though he never said it. In each of their fights, they still had each other. Through all of their differences, they still cared and tried, but since they’re both such stubborn men, their deeper issues were never touched, never fixed.

When Duke reaches Nathan, he doesn’t say anything. He just sits down in front of him, blocking his view of the water and making sure Nathan knows he’s there through his eyes since he wouldn’t be able to feel Duke and he looks so hazy, Duke’s not sure if Nathan would have heard him if he did speak. Nathan looks lost in memories.

Duke pries one of Nathan’s hands away from his leg and rubs it between his palms to warm it up before pressing it to his lips. The beach was always windy, but for Nathan to be this cold he must have been out here longer than Audrey suggested. The next hand comes away easier for Duke to warm up a little.

Nathan meets Duke’s eyes for a moment before he ducks his head. Duke can still see the tears he’s trying to hide roll off his cheeks and soak into his jeans though. He reaches up with slow, measured movements to be sure Nathan sees him and lifts Nathan’s chin. Duke brushes away a few tears with his thumb.

They still don’t speak. They know each other well enough to understand their actions for the meaning they convey. Besides, they often used their words to banter or jab at each other to avoid talking things over. This isn’t a time for their words.

Nathan releases his legs from his grip and leans forward, seeking comfort. Duke guides Nathan’s head to the crook of his neck and holds him close. He gives Nathan the time he needs--just sitting there, breathing in Duke’s familiar scent of ocean and the herbs he must have been working with at The Gull. Nathan lets himself feel comforted for the first time since his trouble has come back.

Though he can’t feel like soft circles Duke is rubbing into the small of his back and the base of his neck, Nathan somehow feels his warmth and supportive gestures deep in his bones. He recalls clinging to each other when they snuck out to King’s Point to watch the stars--how when Nathan had gotten home just before the sun was about to come up the Chief, no, his dad was putting the coffee on.

Nathan thought he would be furious at him sneaking out. Instead, his dad pulled him in close in a quick, but tight hug. They never spoke of it, but from that point on, he never asked Nathan about girls at school or who he wanted to ask to prom. He also stopped harping on about the Crockers. That night out on the point with Duke not only meant the world to him for finally being intimate (well, as intimate as clueless teens could be) for the first time, but also because Nathan felt that was the first time he ever got his dad’s approval and support. Just like now with Duke, no words had been needed. They just understood.

His mind drifts between all those little moments he’d had with his father that he hadn’t taken the time to consider before: when Nathan decided he wanted to go to Orono although the Chief wanted him to head down to USM or even further South to get a different perspective, but he still helped Nathan move in and tried to be positive about his decision, in his own way at least; how the Chief didn’t turn Nathan away when he decided to come back to Haven to be a police officer although he knew his dad wished he’d chosen a less dangerous career; every single time they went fishing together and Nathan purposefully went for a lure or bait they Chief wouldn’t use there because there was no way any fish would care for it at that tide, on that moon, etc. but he nodded and told him what a good cast that was and so on.

When Nathan drifts to the surface of his memories, he’s still holding onto Duke (with Duke probably holding onto him from all he can tell) and he’s saying something to someone. Nathan tilts his head to find Vince standing there, holding something out. It glits when he drops it in Duke’s outstretched hand.

“The, uh, remains are all together in the truck,” Vince tells Duke more than him, “for when you’re ready.”

Nathan’s glad it doesn’t seem like anyone is expecting him to join in on the conversation.

  
“Thanks, Vince. About what we’ll tell people?” Duke asks as he spins that glinting thing around in his palm.

“Just don’t say anything for the time being. We’ll let you know when we come up with something. Always do.”

Vince looks like he wants to pat Nathan on the shoulder or hug him or something, but instead he gives them a solemn nod and walks back to where Dave is putting the cooler back in the bed of the truck and closing the tailgate.

When they’re both long gone up the path back to the road, Duke leans back just enough to press his forehead against Nathan’s for a moment too short.

“I--” Nathan starts. The word catches in his throat. “I don’t think I want to go back to my place,” he admits.

Duke nods. “You’re free to stay on the Cape Rouge with me as long as you need.”

They stand up a little slowly. Nathan makes sure to stretch out his legs and arms since he’s sure they’re uncomfortable although he couldn’t tell one way or another. Duke does the same. They make their way down the beach along the surf to Nathan’s truck with their fingers twined together between them.

Nathan pulls away to go for the passenger door, but Duke puts his hand on it.

“Nah, nope, uh uh. I am driving,” he says as he swats away Nathan’s hand.

“Duke, I’m fine to drive.”

“Who said this is about you?” Duke asks. He shrugs with a grin. “Maybe I just really love driving your truck.”

It draws the whisper of a smile from Nathan and he relents. He knows he’s not winning this battle and walks back to close the tailgate while Duke hops up into the driver’s seat. Nathan lets his hands linger on the cooler after he carefully slides it further back on the truck bed. The engine sputters to life. Nathan steps away from the chest quickly and slams the tailgate shut. He makes sure to keep his legs away from the muffler as he reaches up to close the cab.

The drive over is relatively silent. They roll the windows down before they pull off the beach. Although Nathan can’t feel the wind, he watches his hair whip around and imagines how it must feel. He looks over at Duke who’s focused on the road, for once, with his hair battering against his forehead and ears.

“Home sweet home,” Duke sighs after he pulls into Nathan’s driveway and turns the engine off.

Nathan looks the front of his house over as if he’s really seeing it for the first time in years: the shutters he hung with the Chief all those years ago when Nathan had just moved in are faded with a couple slats missing from the one a little too close to his maple tree, there’s still a visible chip in the top step from when he and the Chief were putting up the ladder to get the snow off the roof and the ice (along with being distracted by their own bickering) made it slide and crash down into his garden, there’s still one lonely purple hyacinth poking up between his daffodils from when he trusted the Chief to look after his place when he went up to Bangor for a seminar with a couple of the other guys from the station. All this time Nathan always thought he didn’t spend much time with his father, but here at his home were all these little signs of him from over the years--things Nathan looks at everyday without any second thoughts about them.

“Nate?” Duke asks. Nathan blinks the moisture in his eyes away.

“Sorry, just uh...thanks for the ride,” he replies and tries to get out of his truck as quickly as possible.

“Hey,” Duke says with a soft concern. Nathan lets go of the handle, waiting for him to continue. “Would it be easier if...if, I don't know. Do you want me to come in or is it being here that's...you know?”

Nathan would laugh at Duke’s sudden inability to unfurl his silver tongue, but the moment’s to soft and somber for bantering. He settles back against his seat and looks at Duke. He reaches up to brush some of his windswept hair back in a less ridiculous fashion than it was sitting and lets his fingers linger over Duke’s cheek.

“You got any of that nice scotch on the Rouge?” He asks instead of flat out telling Duke being there right now is too much. He's grateful that Duke understands what he means and turns the key. The engine roars to life.

“I'm a little insulted that you have to ask if I have the good stuff,” Duke jokes as he pulls back out onto the road.

Nathan smiles easily with relief as they pull away from all those memories from the time being. He looks down at their hands resting on the seat and interlaces their fingers together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments [and kudos are greatly appreciate]. I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [peachstiles](http://peachstiles.tumblr.com/)


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